Forget the lunch... how about a free holiday?

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Reed Hastings, the Netflix chief executive, said: “We should focus on what people get done, not on how many days worked"Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Rhys BlakelyLos Angeles

Published at 12:01AM, September 4 2013

A new trend is threatening America’s reputation as a nation of workaholics: a
growing number of companies have begun to offer their workers unlimited paid
holidays.

The perk first took root in the tech start-ups of Silicon Valley. Bigger
concerns, including the video streaming giant Netflix and the investment
research firm Morningstar, have followed suit, arguing that unlimited
vacations can make good business sense.

Studies have found that frequent holidays can lead to greater productivity,
improved performance and lower stress levels, according to Professor Lotte
Bailyn, of the MIT Sloan School of Management.